Organization of Life

1. Organization of Life Biosphere Ecosystems Communities Populations Organisms

2. What is an ecosystem? • An ecosystem is all the animals and the plants in a habitat, together with their environment. • An ecosystem provides everything that the animals and plants that live there need.

3. ecosystem - all the living and nonliving things that interact in an area

4. Organism Population Community Ecosystem Levels of Organization in an Ecosystem

5. Biotic Vs. Abiotic Factors

6. What things are included in an ecosystem? • Living • Biotic factors • Things that are living • Bio=life • Biology=study of life • Examples: • Humans • Dogs • Trees • Flowers • Bacteria • Nonliving • Abiotic factors • Things that are NOT living • A=NOT • Bio=life • Examples: • Rocks • Oxygen (O2) • Sunlight • Water • Carbon dioxide (CO2)

7. Biotic Factors

8. Abiotic Factors SKY SUNLIGHT CLOUDS WIND Water SAND

9. Chapter 19, Section 2 (pages 512-515):Cycles in Nature Ecological Succession: Objectives: - to learn about the development of communities by succession - to learn the difference between primary and secondary succession (and some organisms characteristic of each process) - to examine the gradual formation of a mature community

10. Ecological Succession succession – the replacement of one type of community with another of a single place over a period of time

11. Ecological Succession A gradual development of a community over time, such as the regrowth of a forest after a fire, is called succession • 1. primary succession • 2. secondary succession • 3. mature communities (and biodiversity)

12. Ecological Succession • Primary Succession – occurs in an area where other organisms had not previously lived • No soil, just bare rocks • Over a very long time, a series of organisms live and die on the rock = primary succession • The first organisms to live in this area are called pioneer species

13. Ecological Succession 2. Secondary Succession - A change in the community in which new populations of organisms gradually replace existing ones • It occurs in an area where an existing community is partially damaged

14. Ecological Succession

15. Ecological Succession • Climax Community – a community that is stable and has a great diversity of organisms - it is also called a mature community

16. HABITATS Explore the World Around You! Adapted from Mrs. Kirkpatrick

17. What is a Habitat? • A habitat is a place where a particular animal or plant species lives. • An artificial habitat is a manmade place. • The ecological role of the organism in its habitat is called its niche.

18. Desert Rain Forest Tundra Prairie Grassland Forest Marine Zoo Which habitats do you recognize?

20. BIOMES Describe the characteristics of Earth's major terrestrial biomes (tropical rain forest, savannah, temperate, desert, taiga, tundra and mountain) and aquatic communities (freshwater, estuaries and marine) (GPS, ITBS) (7SC_B2005‐12) • 12a ‐ give examples of adaptations organisms have which make them suited to life in specific biomes • 12a1 ‐ describe the climate and other abiotic and biotic factors of major biomes • assess how changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival of both individuals and entire species and cause them to become endangered or extinct (GPS, ITBS, CE) (7SC_B2005‐13)

21. What are Biomes? A biome is one of Earth’s large ecosystems… Biomes are regions in the world that share similar plant structures, plant spacing, animals, and climate (= weather = precipitation + temperatures).

22. We know… • There are many ecosystems on the Earth • There are many different species on the Earth • Species adapt to fit their ecosystem …but why?

23. How are Biomes Classified? Biomes are classified as either terrestrial (land) or aquatic (water). Terrestrial comes from the Latin word terrestris which means earth. Aqua means water; aquatic refers to freshwater, marine and estuary ecosystems.

24. How Many Biomes Are There? Scientists disagree over the exact number of biomes, but in general they include around 8-10 biomes.

25. climate – long-term prevailing weather conditions in a particular area The sun’s warming effect on the atmosphere, land, and water establishes the temperature variations, cycles of air movement, seasonal variation, and evaporation of water, that are responsible for dramatic latitudinal variations in climate

26. How are biomes formed? Biomes are distributed across the Earth based on climate. Therefore, in areas that are far apart, you will sometimes find similar plants and animals because the climate is similar. Biomes usually found at cold latitudes far from the equator are sometimes also found on high mountains at low latitudes. Typically, a climb of 100 feet in elevation is equivalent to traveling 600 miles northward. Typically, the farther you move north or south of the equator, the colder the temperature gets. Another factor affecting climate is elevation. The higher you go in elevation, the colder the temperature gets.

27. Climates of the World • There are 3 major climate zones that cover the world. • Polar, temperate, and tropical

28. In the zone • Within each zone, there are a variety of biomes which support various ecosystems. • A biome is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and the plants and animals that live there.

29. The tropical zone • Also known as the tropics, this is the warmest zone located around the equator. • The tropical zone extends from 23.5° S to 23.5° N • The tropical zone includes the following biomes: • Tropical rain forests • Tropical savannas • Tropical deserts

30. The temperate zone • This is the area between the tropical zone and the polar zone. • This zone occurs from 23.5°N to 66.5°N and 23.5°S to 66.5°S • Temperatures here tend to be moderate (in the middle). • The United States sits in the temperate zone. • The temperate zone includes the following biomes: • Temperate forests • Temperate grasslands • Temperate deserts • Chaparrals

31. The polar zone • These zones surround the poles of the Earth. They have the coldest average temperatures. • This zone extends from 66.5°N to 90°N and 66.5°S to 90°S • The polar zone includes the following biomes: • Tundras • Taigas

32. Earth’s Major Terrestrial Biomes: Tropical rain forest Savanna Temperate forests Desert Taiga Tundra Mountain You are responsible for studying the following biomes:

33. Earth’s Major Aquatic Communities: Freshwater Estuaries Marine You are responsible for studying the following biomes:

34. Rainfall + Temperature = Climate Physical features Geographical locations Types of Animals Types of Plants (vegetation/producers) Great EssayCharacteristics of Biomes:

35. Forests • Covers 1/3 of the Earth’s area • Dominated by trees and woody vegetation • Precipitation - distributed evenly throughout the year

36. Temperate Deciduous Forest • Moderate climate • Temperature – varies throughout the year (seasonal); ranges between -30oC and 30oC • Precipitation - even throughout the year;; averages from 75 to 150cm • Soil - rich with decayed matter • Flora - Plants consist of broad leave trees; most trees will lose their leaves in the winter; well-developed understory • Fauna - squirrels, rabbits, deer, skunks, and bear

37. You can find deciduous forests in Eastern America, Southern tip of South America, Western Europe, eastern China, & East Australia. The average temperature in our biome is about 50 degrees F. The average precipitation is about 30-60 inches per year. Deciduous Forest A forest biome with many kinds of trees that lose their leaves each autumn

38. Animals of the Deciduous Forest • Wolves, deer, bears, and a wide variety of small mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects

39. Polar Boreal/Taiga or Coniferous Forest • Also known as Taiga, or Coniferous Forest • The largest terrestrial biome • Typically found between 45o and 60o North latitude • Temperature – Low temperatures, cold climate with summer rains • Precipitation - Snow is the primary form of precipitation (40 – 100 cm annually) • Soil – nutrient-poor, acidic • Flora – mostly conifers such as pine, spruce and fir trees; limited understory • Fauna – Animals include woodpeckers, hawks, moose, bears, lynx, but very few reptiles

40. Animals of the Taiga • Rodents, snowshoe hares, lynx, sables, ermine, caribou, bears, wolves, birds in summer

41. Tropical Rainforest

42. Tropical Rainforest • Location = typically found near the equator • Precipitation = receives more than 200cm of rain annually • Temperature = typically between 20oC and 25oC for the entire year • Highest biodiversity = as many as 50% of all the world’s animal species may be found here

43. Rain Forest • The Rain Forest is made of 3 layers • The first layer is the canopy • The second layer is the understory • The third is the forest floor

44. Animals of the Tropical Rain Forest • More species of insects, reptiles, and amphibians than any place else; monkeys, other small and large mammals, including in some places elephants, all sorts of colorful birds

45. Chaparral

46. Chaparral • Location - found between 32o and 40o latitude on the west coast of continents • Precipitation - receives between 35 and 70cm of rain, usually in the winter • Extremely resistant to drought and weather events

47. Earth’s Biomes (whole page)

48. Temperate Grassland (prairie, steppes, pampas, savannas) • Temperatures vary summer to winter • Moderate rain fall • Seasonal drought and occasional fires • Typical animal life includes jack rabbits, deer, foxes, coyotes, birds, and many other species

49. Grassland

50. Grassland • A biome where grasses, not trees, are the main plant life. Prairies are one kind of grassland region.